MS auctions off Halo 2 billboard

Halo fans can now buy themselves a little piece of history following Microsoft Australia's decision to auction off a giant Halo 2 billboard.

The advertisement first appeared in Sydney's Kings Cross area in late 2004, becoming the first non-Coca-Cola ad to feature in the spot for 30 years, and a giant Master Chief lorded it over the local population for five whole months.

Now the billboard's been split up into eight pieces, and each piece is being auctioned off on eBay - with all proceeds going to charity, namely the Make-A-Wish foundation.

The first auction kicked off today and the bidding is currently up to AU$255, or just under £110. But Xbox bigwig Richard Hirst reckons the sky's the limit: "We have no idea how high the bidding will go for each piece but I am pretty confident the huge Halo 2 logo piece and the piece featuring Master Chief’s head will be much sought after,” he said.

Each piece of the advert comes with a commemorative plaque, which features a photo of the whole billboard in its original setting and has been signed by the team at Bungie. A new auction will begin every five days, starting today.

Ellie spent nearly a decade working at Eurogamer, specialising in hard-hitting executive interviews and nob jokes. These days she does a comedy show and podcast. She pops back now and again to write the odd article and steal our biscuits.